Christian prog vs secular prog

Maybe there was already a thread on this and I dont know it. I happen to be a christian and take my faith very seriously but I do not pound people over the head with it. Of course as you would guess knowing my taste in music, I despise mainstream christian music. I certainly agree with the message but I'm far from satisfied with the music and all of the "Praise the Lords" that pepper the music lyrically. A lot of christians love it. I dont.

Someone at my church recently mentioned to me that a lot of the prog I listen to can tend to lyrically be very questioning of the existence of God if not downright hostile to the idea. Of course I already knew that and some groups can be atheistic lyrically as well and dont even trying to hide it. Thats ok. If I love the music I can certainly live with whatever one wants to believe.

Even ELP (Gasp!) have written lyrics that I wouldnt have done. "The Only Way" comes to mind and of course from 1st Impression Part 1 comes " Not content with that with our hands behind our backs we pull Jesus from a hat get in to that get in to that." Not something my pastor would smile upon!!

Anyway, I didnt know until joining PA that there are actually christian prog bands. I'll make no judgments until I actually hear some of them (Any recommendations?) but I do know that no matter how much they glorify God lyrically, if I dont like the music I wont listen to it. I hope its every bit as powerful as the best stuff from Crimson or ELP.

I'm a pretty thick skinned guy and dont get offended easily at all so please dont hold back on your responses to this subject. What are your thoughts about Christian prog or any kind of prog for that matter that lyrically takes a religious point of view or even a strong political point of view. Do they have a duty to share their faith in their music or should it be left out completely?

pfff... I'll give the straight answer and the correct one...   there is no duty to share your faith.. only LIVE by it... and it should not be left out either.  It is the choice of the arist. whether to bring his faith in the  music or not.. and of the listener as to whether they want to listen to it or not. 

Well, then I'll give the other correct answer; as a musician and artist, feel free to write about any subject and for any audience you like. ;P but however much I respect creative direction, I do get a little uncomfortable with lyrics full of praise (and Satan turns me off just as much as Christ or Mohammad) but thus far, any time I've heard music with that sort of message I've hated the music separately, too. Glass Hammer and Neal Morse have an unpleasant sheen to their music and I couldn't appreciate it even if I was more of a pious person...

Personally, I'd rather music didn't have too strong a religious or political content, since any kind of preaching gets on my nerves after a while. I consider myself an agnostic (though I was raised a Catholic like most Italians), though I have rather strong political opinions I won't go into now. However, I don't mind religious messages in the music I listen to, as long as they are not overdone, and don't sound like attempts at 'converting' the listener (btw, I see militant atheism as a form of 'religion' trying to convince the listener - this is why I don't care for the lyrics to "The Only Way").

Unfortunately, as far as I know a lot of so-called "Christian Prog" (or rock, for that matter) is quite preachy in content. Some of the lyrics penned by Kerry Livgren irritate me somehow, and I've always avoided Neal Morse's solo output for the same reason - though I realise I am prejudiced in that. I would like to see bands and artists that explore the spiritual aspect of life in a more nuanced way, without ever descending into overt preaching - though I understand that it is a fine balance that is not very easy to reach.

If you're looking for Christian prog, the obvious place to start is Neal Morse.  Not only are his lyrics Christian in nature, but he's also one of the most talented modern prog composers.  Other bands that often mentioned are Glass Hammer, later Kansas, Proto-Kaw, and Salem Hill.  Ajalon is a band that doesn't get mentioned much, but they have produced some quality music.

But for my money, the best (aside from Neal Morse, of course) is Akacia.  All three of their albums are wonderful, but I think the best is their second album, The Brass Serpent.  And the title track is over 36 minutes long!  What could be better?

You will find Religion in prog music and it's message of good fighting evil has appeared in many "Epics". As an atheist and a staunch scientist, I suggest you read the works of Richard Dawkins and you will find that the religious themes are just as much fantasy as the Lord of the Rings (for example).

It really depends how it's done for me...

Wow.. thanks everybody for the great responses and the recommendations. I've written them all down and will be checking them out. I know a girl at my church who loves all of the modern day "preachy" christian bands. This will be a great way for me to introduce her to prog. Within a month I'll have her listening to Devil Doll. Ha ha!

If you can translate from Italian, many 1970s bands were inspired by the Bible; just to list some names (and albums):

paolo.beenees wrote:   But please, don't forget to listen to the best christian prog band ever: the German band POPOL VUH. Start with Hosianna Mantra and keep in mind that - from that album on - they inspired their lyrics and music to the Bible.

that's worth 3 clappies